Love is Only a Whisper (Whisper Series) (27 page)

Ashton leaned over, kissed her lips softly and whispered. “I
love you, Nicole. I will be the man you can depend on. That I promise.”

He felt the presence of another in the room. A hand was
firmly planted on his shoulder.

“All this time and I never knew how much you loved her.”

“Would it have made a difference?” He stood and faced his
mother. “I’m sorry, Mother. I’m angry at myself and for taking it out on you.”

Color tinged the surface of her cheeks. “I guess I deserved that. There is no excuse for the way I acted. I apologize. I was wrong in the way I treated Nicole. I wanted someone more mature, experienced and worldly for you.”

“She didn’t choose me. I’m the one that chose her. You should’ve accepted the fact.”

“I know, but I’m trying to explain my attitude. I’ve known
Nicole since she was a teenager. I’m ashamed of my actions. I’m proud to have
her as my daughter-in-law.”

“Thank you for that.”

Ashton moved away from the bed and she followed. Alexa Sinclair could be controlling, smothering and a force to be reckoned with, but quick to admit when she was wrong. She loved hard but stayed out of his personal life. The conversation he intended to have about Nicole’s treatment now was needed. He was glad she’d made the first move.

Alexa sighed and he wondered what else was on her mind. The wait wasn’t long. “Please be patient with Brent and Nicole.”

“I’m not discussing this.”

“Ashton, they’re close friends. Nicole fancied herself in
love with him.”

“I know that. Why are you bringing this up now?”

“Darling, we’re all family. Marjorie and I are together all
the time, which means Nicole, will be around Brent. I don’t want you and your
brother fighting. Melissa is good for him. The marriage will help him to grow
up.”

He threw her a look.

“I know you think I’m clueless to Brent’s shortcomings but I’m not. All his life he’s tried to emulate you. For the first time, he had something you didn’t have, a girl who loved him. Given time, Nicole and he will find which box to place each other.”

“I won’t share her.”

“No one is asking you to. Will you tell me what happened
between you and Brent?”

“No.”

“He has a black eye and a bruise on his mouth.”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“I’m asking you.”

Ashton remained silent and stared hard at his mother.

“Alright.” She sighed and nodded toward Nicole. “How is she
doing?”

“She needs rest. That’s very important right now.”

“She’s going to pull through this.” Conviction threaded
through her words.

“Thanks for your support.”

“A strong bouncy boy, mark my words.”

His lips lifted. “A boy?”

“Boys have been the firstborns of the Sinclairs’ for the
last fifty years.” She smiled. “You’re not going to be the one to stop the
trend.”

“I don’t care about the trend. A healthy baby is all we
want.”

She reached up and hugged him tight. “Promise me something.’

He pulled back and frowned. “What?”

“Remember that you and Brent are brothers first. Settle this thing between you.”

There was only silence.

“I love all my children. I won’t take sides. I want you to
fix this.” Her voice was firm and brooked no argument.

He wasn’t making promises that he couldn’t keep.

Finally the standoff was over; she patted his cheek and
walked out the door leaving him to exhale slowly. This was one time where she
was wrong. It would be futile. Brent wanted his wife. Did Nicole want to be
with Brent? The unknown scared him. But it didn’t matter. She was his and
would remain so.

Nicole opened her eyes and felt warmth at her side. Looking down she saw Ashton’s head on the bed and his hand resting on her thigh. He was asleep but a slight frown marred his handsome face. She reached to smooth the frown away and then snatched her hand back, remembering the painful words that had ricochet between them. She fought hard to hold back the tears but they sprang freely.

He’d been cruel. God help her, she still loved him. But she didn’t want to.

Nicole eyes roamed his body and then she remembered the
harsh and cruel words he spoke to her. She gulped at the pain. God help her,
she still loved him. But at that moment, she didn’t want to.

She looked around, seeing the sterile room. Hospital. Her heart raced with panic. She searched for the hard stomach bump. It was still but where was no movement. Just a few days ago she’d felt flutters. Something was wrong. Frightened, she moved and the IV in her arm stung. The rapid beeping of the monitor at the head of the bed caused her further anxiety.

Ashton’s head snapped up. “Nicole?” He shot to his feet.

A nurse rushed in, pushed Reset on the monitor and laid a
cool hand on her forehead. “Mrs. Sinclair.” Her voice was soothing. “What’s
this all about? You must rest. Your baby needs it.”

“Why can’t I feel him?”

“It’s okay. You’re still in the early stages of your
pregnancy. You may not feel the baby yet.”

“I did a couple of days ago. It was only for a short moment.
It felt like butterflies.”

She smiled. “Well, I’m sure he’ll make his presence known again. You and he have been through a little trauma. He’s taking a rest from it all.”

“You didn’t tell me you felt movement,” Ashton said.

Nicole directed her concern to the nurse. “I’m worried.”

The elderly nurse smiled. “Don’t be. Your baby is doing fine.
Besides, the medication we gave you slows everything down. It keeps him calm.
Something you should be doing.” She patted Nicole’s arm. “I want you to lay
back and rest.”

“Is she okay?” Ashton asked.

The nurse nodded. “Yes, Mr. Sinclair. Her blood pressure rose a bit, which set off the monitor. Now that she knows the baby is safe, I expect everything will settle down. If you need anything, let me know.” She left the room.

The silence between them hung like a steel door. He resumed
his seat and took her hand.

“You keep saying him. So you think it’s a boy?” He rubbed a thumb smoothly against her skin, bringing much-needed warmth. She started to pull away but craved the connection. Not wanting him to realize the effect he was causing, she turned her head and looked at the window. Darkness covered the sky but the flicker of lights still made its presence known.

“Sweetheart…”

She swiveled her head toward him. “Why are you here?”

“Where else would I be?”

“I want you to leave here.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Get out.”

“Nicole—”

“Go! I’m sure there’s a woman who’s waiting for you who isn’t a drive-by.” She bit her lip to hold back more ugly words from spewing. Vindictive and childish weren’t adjectives normally associated with her. But within a matter of a few hours, her life had changed.

Ashton’s features were unreadable. “The only woman in my life is you.” A tightening around the mouth and his eyes flashing dangerously warned of the surmountable control he was exerting. “Rest.” He leaned over to kiss her, but she threw up a hand to stop it.

He withdrew, stood and stared.

“I get you’re upset,
Nicole. But I’m not going to let you hang onto your anger indefinitely.”

She turned and focused on the window, refusing to look at
him.

For a very long time he didn’t move, but his gaze burned a hole into the back of her head. The heat seared her neck and she fought to remain still. Finally, he walked out. Tears broke free and covered her cheeks. She took great gulps of air to keep from crying out her pain. Clamping down hard, she gritted her teeth to hold back the despair. Confusion, pain and desperation fought a war inside the heart—no one being declared a winner. The hollow ache cut deep groves throughout her body. She didn’t know how much time passed before she balled up into a fetal position to help ease the suffering. Feeling nothing, she fell into a restless slumber.

Ashton stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office thinking about his wife. The spot had become his place of solitude. For the last two days he’d visited her at the hospital and she’d pretty much ignored him.

He ran this hand over his face and walked to his large
mahogany desk and flopped in the chair, closed his tired eyes and leaned his
head back.

The way she’d looked him— as if she couldn’t stand the sight
of him— sliced at his gut, he tried hard to push the disappointment aside. He
was still her husband and the father of their child. His brother was another
matter. Ashton uttered a long curse. He’d reacted without thought. Seeing his
wife wrapped in Brent’s arms had driven him mad with anger—and jealousy. For
the first time in his life, he was afraid. Hell, who was he kidding? He was
scared shitless. His world was on an axis and he was teetering on the edge of
it. Without Nicole, there was nothing for him. With her, he was whole—complete.
Would he ever stop being afraid of losing her?

There was a quick knock
at the door and it opened. His father walked toward him, leaving the door open.
Before he could sit, an assistant entered with a tray of coffee and scones.
Ashton stood. She set the tray on the small conference table by the window.

“Thank you, Mary,” Camp
said. “We’ll serve ourselves.”

“Yes sir.” The older
woman smiled, nodded and walked out.

Ashton shook his head.
“Although I inherited Mary when you supposedly retired, I see she still works
for you.”

His father chuckled and
poured the coffee in their cups. “Do you want cream?”

“Black is fine.”

Camp motioned toward a
leather chair at the table. “Sit down, son.”

Ashton moved to the chair but glanced out the window, waiting for his father to be seated. The magnificent view of the Dallas skyline never ceased to capture him his attention.

“It’s a beautiful sight.”

“Father, I know you
didn’t come here to talk about the view from my office window. You’re retired,
remember? The only time you come to the office is for board meetings. So,
what’s up?”

“Whenever you call me Father,
I know you are pissed.” Camp grinned and then pulled his chair closer to the
table. “Nicole’s coming home today, Right?”

“Yes, I’m picking up her
in an hour.”

“Good. This episode with
Brent and you has me worried.”

“You’ve been talking to Mother.”

“Now, Ashton, don’t go
and get your back out of whack. Your mother is concerned and so am I. You’re a
brilliant strategist when it comes to business. I couldn’t ask for anyone
better to head Sinclair Industries into the next decade and beyond.”

Ashton cleared his
throat. “Thanks Dad. But what’s the real reason you’re here?”

“I’ve talked to Brent.” The silence stretched. “I want to discuss him and Nicole with you.”

Ashton lifted his
eyebrows. “What about them? He has no business talking about my wife or even
thinking about her.”

“Stop this nonsense.” Camp
held up his hand. “Everyone can see how much you love her, Ashton. Your brother
wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that. I don’t know what happened between the
two of you and I don’t care. What’s important is that
my sons
remember
that they are brothers.”

Ashton’s lips tightened
as he tried to control his anger. “Did you give Brent the same spiel before you
came storming over here? He’s the one that needs to remember.”

“Son, listen to me—”

A loud knock sounded on
the door. But before he could answer his father did. “Come in.”

The door opened and
Brent walked into the office. Although there was hesitancy in his approach, confidence
showed in his face.

“What the hell are you
doing here, Brent?” Ashton asked.

Camp frowned at him. “I
asked him to come.”

“Really? What do you
think it’s going to accomplish? It still doesn’t change the fact that my
brother wants my wife.”

“I didn’t come here to
argue with you, Ashton.” Brent shook his head and looked at their father. “Dad,
I told you it wouldn’t do any good. Ashton has a chip on his shoulder and I’m
not going to be the one to knock it off. He’ll believe exactly what he wants.
He always does.”

“Did I not I find you at my house with my wife wrapped in
your arms kissing her?” he snarled.

“Dammit, I love Nicole. That is not something you’re going
to change.”

“Whoa, one minute.” Camp held up his hands. “What are you
talking about?”

Ashton advanced toward Brent, fury in every step. “Oh,
little brother didn’t tell you the full story, did he? I came home and there he
was trying to seduce my wife.”

“That’s not true,” Brent shouted. “You should know that
Nicole isn’t that type of woman. But, as usual you are too stubborn and angry
to see what’s in front of your eyes.”

“Okay. Let’s all calm down.” Camp threw up his hands to keep
them separated. “Ashton, I can imagine what it might have looked like but Brent
would never do something as crass as coming on to your wife. I’m sure there’s a
reasonable explanation.”

“There’s no explanation for what I saw.”

“Brent, tell me what happened,” Camp said.

“I went to see Nicole but not to seduce her. I just wanted
to talk to her. I wanted to know why she married Ashton.”

“It’s none of your damn business.”

His father glared at him. “Ashton, please. Go on Brent.”

“Nicole was my girl first. It’s only natural that we would
hug each other good-bye. But when I looked at her and realized that things
would never be the same between us—”

“You damn straight things will never be the same. You stay
the hell away from my wife. This is your last warning.”

“Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t hide her away
as if she’s a prisoner in an ivory tower. This isn’t the Stone Age. She won’t
allow it and neither will I.”

“You won’t allow it?” he ground out. “You have lost your
motherfucking mind.”